Windows Server 2012 Editions & Features

Every few years or so, Microsoft has been releasing new versions of Windows server. With every release, the set of editions will vary. With the release of Server 2012, once again, Microsoft has changed the mix. However, with this release, it appears
that things are a lot simpler. There are four new editions for Server 2012. Most Enterprise customers will be deploying one or two editions on their networks. The four Server 2012 editions are as follows:

Each edition has its purpose. The biggest advantage is that it is going to be easier than ever for organizations to pick the best edition to suit its needs. Here is a closer look at the four editions:

Edition

Purpose

Features

Licensing

List Price

Datacenter

High Virtualization, Cloud

Unlimited Virtual instances

Processor x2, CALs

$4,809

Standard

Non-virtualized, lower density

Same features as Datacenter, limited virtualization

Processor x2, CALs

$882

Essentials

Small business

Simple administration, no virtualization

Server, 25 accounts

$501

Foundation

Entry, Economic

General purpose, no virtualization

Server, 15 accounts

OEM only

You should note that for Standard and Datacenter editions, the pricing is based per two processors, not per single processor. Many servers today have dual processors, so this licensing model works well. However,
if you install Standard or Datacenter on single processor servers, you cannot split the license across two servers. In addition, if you purchase a server with twelve processors, you will need six licenses to cover all of the processors.

Standard vs. Datacenter

In previous versions of Windows Server, the editions such as Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter all had different features and different limits with regard to access to hardware resources. You should also take note that there are no more hardware
limitation differences between Standard and Datacenter. Standard is no longer limited to 32 GB of RAM, nor is it limited to 4 CPUs. Both Standard and Enterprise are limited to 4TB or physical memory. With regard to CPUs, Windows Server 2012 Standard and
Datacenter editions support up to 64 sockets and 320 logical processors if the version is Hyper-V enabled, or 640 logical processors if Hyper-V is disabled. Keep in mind that if you do decide to go beyond 2 CPUs, you will need to
buy additional processor licenses as described above.

What about roles and features between Standard and Datacenter? Fortunately Microsoft has simplified that as well. All of the roles and features are the same for both Standard and Datacenter edition. In the past, if you were deploying certain roles or
features, you had to choose among the different editions. With Server 2012, you don't have to do that any longer. The focus of choosing the 2012 edition decision is now based upon workloads. If you plan on running heavy workloads in a virtualized
environment, just after hosting a few virtual guests, the Datacenter edition will become more cost effective with regard to licensing.

Windows Server 2012 Feature Comparison

Here is a summary of key server roles and features by edition.

Roles

Server Role

StandardDatacenter

Essentials

Foundation

AD Certificate Services

AD Domain Services

AD Federation Services

AD Lightweight Directory Services

AD RMS

Application Server

DHCP Server

DNS Server

Fax Server

File Services

Hyper-V

Network Policy & Access Services

Print & Doc Services

Remote Desktop Services

UDDI Services

Web Services

Windows Deploy Services

Windows Server Update Services

Features

Server Feature

StandardDatacenter

Essentials

Foundation

AD Rights Management Services

BranchCache Content Server

BranchCache Hosted Server

Direct Access

Hyper-V

Internet Information Services 7.5

Network Access Protection

Remote Desktop Services

Server Core

Server Manager

Windows Deployment Services

Windows PowerShell

Full

Partial

Auto Installed

Not Supported

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